Monday, August 26, 2013

It's a patio dress!

I'm sure that one time or another, all of us have drooled over a vintage patio dress set! Not wanting to shell out $100+ on one, I decided to make one!


I finished the skirt way back at the end of June and took it on vacation in July but I never got the blouse finished! I hate sewing up to the last minutes!


Fabric: more curtain fabric (free)
Pattern: Butterick 7328
Year: 1950s
Notions: Buttons ($1), ric rac ($5)
First worn: August '13
Wear again: Yes! This combo is so fun, plus I think the shirt is quite enough to wear with other things.


I'm trying to decide if I like this bob style with 50s things. I got a bob cut because I'm going to be in a wedding in September and I wanted to tone down the vintage a bit for the occasion. But it is nice to have an easy go to options when I don't feel like or can't pin curl my hair.


One thing I will say if you are going to be making one of these is that unless you can get the trim cheap somewhere (ie not Jo-Ann's), you can easily run yourself $50-75 in trim alone! I didn't add nearly as much trim as I would have liked because I just couldn't justify that much money on an outfit that used to be curtains.


I still love this outfit and am so happy I finished it! The skirt is super twirly and the bold yellow color makes everybody a bit perkier.


I've been playing around with wearing less make up and I really like it. So much easier plus my face feels so much nicer when I don't wear foundation. Now I just save foundation for fancy events.


Do you have a vintage or hand-made patio dress?

17 comments:

  1. So in love with it and the yellow is gorgeous on you!! I agree, I've wanted one for ages but they're hard to find in my size and when I do, they're either a bad color or too expensive. I did find a purple skirt that fits me a few years ago and a matching top has been on my project list for ages. You've inspired me to get cracking on that! :)

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  2. Wow! I should really do more yellow, it is so stunning :)
    Patio dresses are supercute, but I totally agree on the trim-thing. Trim is ridiculously expencive here in Norway-land :(
    But even if your dress is not quite trimmed to your hearts contempt it still looks awesome! Well done ;)

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  3. Gorgeous outfit and photographs! Yellow looks simply stunning on you, honey. You really hit it out of the ballpark with this awesome handmade patio set!

    ♥ Jessica

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  4. This is marvelous! You did a spectacular job! And, yes, the bob is working for you!

    xoxo
    -Janey

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  5. This is super cute! I've always wanted one, but every time I try one on it just doesn't look good. Love the color! Great job.

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  6. Fantastic! I love patio dresses and I have some but the problem is that the skirts are often shorter than other style, probably to be worn with boots but I don't like boots....

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  7. I have neither and like you will not fork out $100+ for one. RIDICULOUS!! Gosh, I wish I had your complexion. I was hoping as I went further in my 20s I would grow out of it, but it's just gotten worse. Stress maybe?? :::shrugs:::

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  8. I would love to make one myself! You look adorable with less make up. Too much time to cover that beautiful skin!

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  9. I envy your badass patio dress skilzs. I paid $60 for my patio dress and its not my faviorte color... so rock on sister it looks great!

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  10. This is a lovely dress. You can't beat ric rac, I love it!

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  11. Such a fun outfit! I admit I've never really thought about a patio dress set, but maybe I'll start. I have SCADS of vintage ricrac I've picked up here & there over the years and this seems an excellent way to use it. I loved the line "couldn't justify the expense on an outfit that used to be curtains", that made me giggle.

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  12. I LOVE this dress! Yellow is definitely a good color on you, and I'm drooling over all the ric rac you've used. I'm going to have to go through my patterns now and See what will work. Maybe I can get it done before next summer. Thanks for sharing!

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  13. Hi Stephanie, I love this outfit! I only recently discovered the difference between 1940s Mexican and patio styles and I just love them both. What pattern did you use for this skirt? It looks like a simple 3-tier job that I could possibly draft myself - but whenever I think that it takes forever and I wish I'd just hunted down a pattern instead.

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    1. It's self drafted but super easy. It's three big rectangles gathered together. Each tier is 2x the length of the one above it and 1/3 the length of the total skirt. The first one just has to be big enough to go over your hips nicely.

      There are some vintage patterns for patio dresses available on etsy if you search.

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  14. wow ... i was looking for a patio dress/skirt for so long. great if someone is talented like you to make your own dress. it looks fantastic.
    finally i found a red skirt with golden ricrac ... sadly without a top.

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